Southern Weddings

Enjoy this beautiful wedding from {Paul Johnson Photography}. This is what modern southern weddings are all about–blending and expressing two lives against a southern backdrop.  Julie’s Asian heritage and Andy’s Brittish upbringing are married beautifully amidst the splendid canvas of gorgeous {Carillon Beach, Florida}.  Coordination by in-house coordinator, Victoria Volpone; Cake {Debra Spurlin}; Flowers {Bella Flora} of Carillon Beach; Caterer by {Townsend Catering} of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Check back later for Part II of Julie + Andy and be sure to visit Paul’s beautiful {BLOG}! Which image is your favorite?

The weather was: a little bit of everything! Clouds, wind, rain, thunder, lightening, and even a little bit of sun as the sun went down. We thought it was just perfect.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding?  We wanted an elegant wedding that would be timeless… We wanted the wedding to speak from both sides of our cultures. Our wedding coordinator did an amazing job suggesting how we could marry British sensibility (Andy’s side) with Asian simplicity and charm.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? We never started with a particular color in mind, but I decided on blue bridesmaids dresses to start, and then it just ended up permeating the entire day. So in the end, we got blue & white, which we were so happy with.
Describe your wedding flowers: We didn’t want the reception flowers to look too “forced” so we asked our florist for loose English garden arrangements in an assortment of blue & white Spode-inspired vases. They did an amazing job and alternated table arrangements with these and simpler cherry blossom branches in glass vases. It ended up that cherry blossoms were not blooming at the time, so our branches were very green — but we ended up loving the look. My bouquet was a simple bunch of white peonies, and the bridesmaid’s bouquets were simple clusters of white tulips; my favorite flower.
Describe your wedding cake: our cake was very cute! We found a cartoonish Korean bride & groom which inspired the rest of the cake. Since we were having cherry blossoms in the wedding, our cake designer incorporated cherry blossoms (to tie in the pink from the bride) with tiny pearls of blue (to tie in the blue from the groom).
How did you meet? We met at Andy’s friend, Ian’s housewarming party. Julie’s friend, Deron brought Julie to the party with their friend Amy. The first conversation we had was about the British chef, Jamie Oliver (we both love food!)… Actually, Amy also met her future husband, Alan at this same party (they are engaged now). Amy was Julie’s maid of honor and Alan was Andy’s best man!

Check back for the rest of Julie + Andy’s interview in Part II…

And now, a new SWS feature… “The 5 Questions“

5 Questions for Paul Johnson of {Paul Johnson Photography}:

When did you decide this was your calling? I fell in love with photography when I was very young and actually shot a friend of the family’s wedding when I was 11 years old but it wasn’t until later in life that I decided to pursue photography as a full time career. Soon after my wife Mecheal began assisting me at weddings I decided to give her a camera to do some second shooting. Although she was new to photography it was very obvious to me early on that she had a natural talent. Now it’s a fifty fifty deal and we both cover every wedding and combine the imagery into a chronological story of the day.
What fuels your inspiration? Mecheal and I both have a very strong desire to create something special for every client. We never think a wedding is just another wedding and being inspired by each and every couple is a must. We believe that each couple has a unique personality and style so we really strive to be sensitive to what those qualities are. We know that if we can identify and capture our clients uniqueness instead of molding and conforming them into our style of imagery then they will have not only beautiful, but meaningful images.
What inspires you on a daily basis? Imagery is everywhere.. movies, magazines, catalogs and shopping malls to name a few.. I love seeing all kinds of non-wedding imagery and using it as inspiration for my shooting and processing style. During the wedding day people watching is key, I try to pay attention to what is actually happening and not just look for the next pretty composition.
Favorite blogs/magazines/designers/photographers? Of course SWS, and MACRUMORS! I can’t wait for the new 3G iPhone to come out.
Do you have any advice to up and comers? 1. When you find that something is working for you keep it up, but at the same time never stop trying something different. 2. Timing.. if you want to capture moments you must anticipate them. The only time you will see a perfect moment in the viewfinder is AFTER it has already happened, if you didn’t already press the shutter you missed it!
What is in the future of Paul Johnson? Wow, hopefully just to be the best father, husband, and photographer I can be!